Review of Genesis 42

— by Victor Fawole

How often do we succumb to the defeat of guilt whenever we are confronted with our sin! The Yorubas have a saying that “Iyan ogun odun a maa jo’ni l’owo felifeli…” That is, the evil that men do, live after them… Welcome to Genesis 42, a chapter of the reunion of Joseph and his brothers. A very dramatic chapter. There are lessons on guilt that we must learn here. Let us consider three key lessons:

1. THE REMINDER OF GUILT

Gen. 42:1-2 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

“Why do ye look one upon another?” This is an indication of the dysfunction in Jacob’s House of Commotion. The guys were just sitting around looking at one another in hunger, clueless about what to do. It’s very likely they knew that food was available in Egypt. Jacob wasted no time in sending them there, except for Benjamin. He wouldn’t trust them with Benjamin after what happened to Joseph thirteen years ago. Jacob treated Benjamin with protective love, like the apple of his eye. Exempting Benjamin from the journey would have sent a strong reminder of guilt to the brothers.

The famine that Joseph prophesied had spread across different countries, and God was using it to bring Jacob’s family together again. God is expert in using severe unpleasant circumstances as a form of his mercy to bring healing. God would rather that our bodies starve than our souls perish. This reality is difficult to accept, and many people have chosen to deny the sovereignty of God in matters like this.

2. THE RESTLESSNESS OF GUILT

Gen. 42:13,21 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not… And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

Joseph recognized his brothers, and as they prostrated before him, he remembered his dreams. The “killers” of dreams have now become the “fulfillers” of dreams. He treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them, but not for vengeance. Actually, he wept (Gen. 42:24) and was tenderhearted towards them. He had to employ tough love because of his desire to see Benjamin, and to also know if his brothers had repented or not.

Why were they not able to recognize Joseph? We should consider the:

• Change of Age: Joseph was now 30/31 years old when they saw him again. He was no longer the teenage feeble daddy’s boy they used to know.
• Change of Assignment: They sold him as a slave and they couldn’t ever imagine seeing him as a governor – not even the governor of Egypt. But here he was, the man assigned to the gutters now at the top of government.
• Change of Accent: Joseph spoke the Egyptian language and used an interpreter to communicate with them.
• Change of Appearance: His change of status definitely necessitated a change of appearance. He was now gloriously decked and adorned.
• Change of Attitude: Joseph spoke roughly to them as a military commander would speak to spies from rival countries.

As Joseph continued to probe them, they began to feel the distress (restlessness) of guilt. They felt that God was dealing with them for their sin. Their guilty conscience linked their present predicament to their past punishment towards Joseph. The quickness with which they associated these events with their sin against Joseph meant they often remembered that sin. This was a good sign.

Recognition and admission of guilt is the beginning of true repentance. A man who never felt guilty of his sins would never see the need for salvation. No man can bury his past (sins) by himself. We want to forget everything. We all need God to do that for us (Micah 7:19). The brothers thought they had buried their sin, only for it to resurface 13/14 years later. Everything that is hidden will be brought to light. The best way to deal with the past is by bringing it to the Light of Christ. We can never escape the sense of guilt, except we receive the free offer of grace.

3. THE REASONING OF GUILT

Gen. 42:28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?

A man ridden with guilt would blame God for everything he experiences. That is the reasoning of guilt. Even Jacob had to cry out: “Why only me?” (Gen. 42:36) He felt guilty about his favouritism, because his second favourite son was about to be taken away from him too! He saw no reason to thank God. He went on a tirade of complaints. He had many reasons to thank God – he was God’s chosen, he was healthy, he was wealthy enough to buy food, and many more! – yet he complained. The reasoning of guilt is foolishness before God.

However, this entire drama was not ultimately about Jacob or Joseph, but about the GOD of Abraham Who was preserving His covenant promises.

Dear Gogolights, whenever you feel like the burden of your sin is weighing you down, or that the hand of God is heavy against you, I encourage you to run to Christ, for He is the one who can grant you rest and no condemnation! Your sense of guilt means you are human, but it does not make you a Christian. Everyone experiences guilt, but not everyone responds to that guilt appropriately. The appropriate way is to receive the free forgiveness that was bought by the Blood of Christ. Your sins have been fully paid for. Christ is the One Who permanently removes the guilt of sin.

The suppression of a guilty conscience leads to condemnation, but those who truly repent find restoration. In fact, the Bible is clear that whoever conceals their sins does not prosper… (Prov. 28:13). Let God do the covering for you or else your sin will find you out! (Num. 32:23) When your guilt leads to repentance rather than suppression, you will find a God eager to forgive rather than condemn. Suppression of guilt leads to condemnation. Repentance from sin leads to restoration. By repentance, I mean “believe the gospel and be saved!” (Mark 1:15)

Before I drop my pen on this review, there are more parallels that we can draw between Joseph and Jesus:

• Just as Joseph gave them bread without any payment, Jesus is the bread of life that requires no payment. Grace!
• Just as Joseph blessed his brothers before they repented, Jesus gives us unexpected and undeserved blessings.
• Just as Joseph’s brothers could not recognize him, Jesus’ people (the Jews) did not recognize His divine nature.
• Just as Joseph’s enemies bowed before him, Jesus’ enemies will bow before Him. (Isa. 60:14)
• Like Joseph, Jesus has both hidden and demonstrated compassion towards us.
• Like Joseph, Jesus was a man of sorrows and grief (Isa. 53:3)
• Like Joseph, Jesus wept. (John 11:35)

I appreciate everyone who joined this week’s Bible reading. I am confident in God’s grace that we have learnt more and we are growing in His grace. If you have not read the previous chapters and/or the reviews, please do well to revisit them. Till next time that we continue our journey in the book of Genesis, it’s all grace in here!

Grace to you, Church!